Rain could not stop Australia from suffering another humiliating defeat at the hands of India on Sunday, with the hosts taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in this three-match ODI series. With the World Cup rapidly approaching, can the Aussies salvage something from the fire in the final game at Rajkot? Check out our full preview and betting tips below.
India vs Australia 3rd ODI Preview & Betting Tips
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Wednesday 27th September, 6:00pm (AEST)
India
India are going from strength to strength in the lead up to their home World Cup, having dominated the Asia Cup before taking back-to-back wins over Australia.
A whipping 99 runs was the final margin in the most recent match at Indore, India tallying 5-399 (their best against Australia in ODIs) before restricting Australia to 217 in a rain-shortened chase.
Shubman Gill continued his impressive run of form with 104 off 97 balls at the top, while Shreyas Iyer also got in on the act with a century of his own. Skipper KL Rahul once again demonstrated his credentials as a middle order batsman with 52 off 38 and Suryakumar Yadav put the icing on the cake with a blistering 72 off 37 including six maximums.
Off the back of an incredible batting performance India then executed with the ball, sharing the wickets to decimate Australia’s top order. Ravi Ashwin was the best of the bowlers taking 3-41, while Ravindra Jadeja also took three as the spinners did the damage.
Expect some changes to the XI for the third and final game of the series, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav all set to return to the squad after a well-deserved rest. Gill and Thakur will make way, taking their break before the World Cup arrives. As such, expect a near full strength line-up for this one.
India Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Australia
Two troubling trends continued for Australia in Indore – they were beaten for a fifth ODI in succession and were bowled out again in the process.
None of the Australian bowlers made an impact as India cruised to 399 – Spencer Johnson and Josh Hazlewood were unable to make inroads at the top before Sean Abbott and Cameron Green were belted for nine and 10 runs per over, respectively. Green was the only bowler to take multiple wickets, but his figures of 2-103 made for disappointing reading.
It was the same old story with the bat, as batsmen made starts but were unable to capitalise. David Warner continued his renaissance with a brisk 53 off 39 balls and Abbott provided some late fireworks (54 off 36), however no other batter topped 30 as the Aussies were skittled despite boasting plenty of talent on the teamsheet.
The situation is starting to get desperate for Australia, considering that a best XI for the World Cup is far from clear.
Australia Predicted XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Betting Tips
While I put my faith in Australia in the first two matches of this series, all the signs point to India making it a 3-0 whitewash here. The big names will return to India’s XI for this one and although Australia will regain Cummins and Starc, their batting leaves plenty to be desired compared to the dynamic mix boasted by the hosts.
Player Prop Quick Tips
Bowler Matchbet 4 – Ravi Ashwin ($2.40 at Ladbrokes) – This head-to-head market pits two experienced spinners against each other – Ashwin and Zampa. While neither has stood out in this series, Ashwin should enjoy bowling at a weaker batting line-up and is great value to outperform Zampa as a result.
